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| Team Jordan |
In a perfect world, I would have made it to California a couple weeks ago to help two of my favorite wineries celebrate milestone anniversaries. But then I nearly took a nasty tumble on the staircase late one night in search of a cold glass of water – yes, dammit, water!!! – and therefore concluded a major lifestyle change was in order. So . . . out with stairs, in with elevators.
High-rise living here we come. Falls ain’t good for old geezers with brand-new hips and a wrecked knee.
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| John Jordan |
Moves aren’t either, of course. But if not now, when? Anyway, the personal upheaval combined with a newfound fear of flying — these are batsh*t crazy times for the airlines — caused me to miss Alexander Valley Vineyards’ 60th anniversary celebration and a “Summer of Giving” soirée at Jordan. The winery has been hosting a series of these events across the country to celebrate its 50th birthday in turn with supporting worthy causes through the John Jordan Foundation (johnjordanfoundation.org)
However, I did get to raise a few glasses Saturday night at Porta’Vino with AVV’s operations director Harry Wetzel IV, whose namesake grandfather launched the business. And, no, the acorn doesn’t fall far from the oak. The winery is in excellent hands with him and his brother, Rob, who oversees the sales-and-marketing wing. They’ve got this. In fact, Harry arrived with a sauvignon blanc, a first for AVV. It was delicious . . . but not yet available in Texas. Next spring, he promised!
As for Jordan, it has a couple more dinners planned in August. I might still make it out there, our pending move notwithstanding. Fingers crossed.
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| Harry and Maggie Wetzel |
While there may older and arguably more iconic California wineries, than Jordan and AVV, the list is a very short one. And their respective properties, both in the cellar and around the grounds, are second to none. They’re practically Alexander Valley neighbors, too. Hank Wetzel’s father, also named Harry, started what became the great AVV adventure when he and his wife Maggie bought their gorgeous real estate without having ever set foot on it in the summer of 1962. The elder Harry, an aviation company CEO, had traveled the world visiting some of its greatest vineyards and had become convinced Sonoma County offered similar potential. Flights from his home in Southern California on Pacific Southwest had dropped to $11.49 per ticket – really – and that made it cheap and easy to cart the family up to the North Coast on a regular basis.
Harry wound up taking over the property owned by Cyrus Alexander, the original homesteader in the neighborhood back in the mid-19th century. The first vines would be planted a year later and the inaugural AVV cabernet sauvignons, made from two 50-gallon barrels, went into bottles in 1968. The rest, as we say, is history.
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| Harry Wetzel IV |
In case you may have forgotten, AVV’s flagship Cyrus red blend has won an unrivaled four Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo International Wine Competition Grand Champion Best of Show saddles for the 1999, 2006, 2008 and 2014 vintages. We tasted the 2016 Saturday evening and, trust me, it will be a strong contender, too. More kudos to Kevin Hall, one of the longest-tenured winemakers in California who has presided over all of the
John Jordan, for his part, was born the same week that his father Tom and his mother Sally closed on their land up the road. Like Harry Wetzel, they were inspired by the vintners and vineyards they had visited in Europe, particularly in France. The Jordans’ high-minded goal was to make a California cab that spoke with a French accent. My first taste of the Jordan came in the mid-1990s and I recall thinking that I was indeed drinking one of Bordeaux’s classed growths.
Mission accomplished.
Tom hadn’t messed around. He hired André Tchelistcheff, already a Napa legend, as consulting enologist, then hired a young fellow named Rob Davis to handle the daily chores. Davis was instrumental in the making of Jordan’s first cab in 1976 and he would stay at the helm through his retirement in 2019.
For the record, I have finally forgiven John and his multi-talented right-hand person, Lisa Mattson, who has become a dear friend, for including Dallas instead of Houston on their paying-it-forward American tour.
Upcoming Jordan Social Impact Summer dinners, both al fresco on the winery’s gorgeous terrace, are set for Aug. 13 and Aug. 27. Details can be found at jordanwinery.com. And who knows? I might still make it out should a seat at a table remain available. If so, I hope to see you there.
Note that two wines from both AVV and Jordan are among my nine touts for today. I thought I owed you a few extra ones for being off the blogging grid the last couple of weeks. Sorry!
Sippin’ with sporty
Rosé
Chandon étoile Brut Rosé – A classic blend of chardonnay (47 percent), pinot noir (45) and pinot meunier (8), this pale pink but intensely flavored sparkler tastes of strawberries and lemon with a touch of almond. Founded in the late 1950s in Argentina by Robert-Jean de Vogüe, Chandon launched the California branch of the family’s now-global bubbles business (chandon.com) not long after Jordan’s founding. $39.97 at Total Wine
2021 Alexander Valley Vineyards Rosé of Sangiovese – AVV’s 16th vintage of its always-enticing rosé profited from a nearly perfect growing season. Tasting of red fruit and watermelon with just a hint of peach, it’s “pure California sunshine in a glass,” suggests long-tenured winemaker Kevin Hall, who started with AVV in 1998. I won’t disagree and neither would the judges at the 2021 California State Fair, who awarded it a nearly perfect score of 99. For Spec’s price of $14.99, it’s a superb value, too. avv.com
2021 Lynmar Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir – The Russian River Valley fruit is a blend of 11 pinot noir clones. The wine, aged for four months in stainless steel, tastes of peaches, pomegranates and hibiscus flower, with a tangy touch of orange zest. The Lynmar Estate, founded four decades ago by Lynn Fritz, borders the western edge of the Laguna de Santa Rosa, the Russian River’s largest tributary, and is only 12 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Lynn Fritz bought his first vineyard, Quail Hill, four years ago. $33 at lynmarestate.com
White
* 2019 Aridus Viognier – The fruit was all estate grown in southeastern Arizona’s Chiricahua foothills and the wine was the end result of a complicated series of experiments (explained in detail at ariduswineco.com) conducted by the wine-making/growing team of Lisa Strid and Scott Dahmer. It aged in a mix of neutral and second-fill French oak, stainless steel and sandstone jar, resulting in a complex, nuanced, super-satisfying summer sipper. $35 at ariduswineco.com
* 2020 Jordan Chardonnay Alexander Valley – A blend of 17 vineyard blocks from six growers, the grape clusters were destemmed and gently pressed at night for a maximum extraction of freshness and acidity. The juice fermented for 12 days in both French oak barrels (54 percent new) and stainless steel tanks. Four months of sur lie aging followed, resulting in a wine with Fuji apple aromas – always the mark of a good vintage according to winemaker Maggie Kruse. $40 at jordanwinery.com (The 2019 is at Spec’s for $31.34)
* 2021 Lost Draw Cellars Texas High Planes Picpoul Blanc – For me, picpoul blanc, despite its Spanish heritage, is evocative of the South of France because I drank it frequently during my Tour de France years while passing through the Languedoc. But it clearly thrives in the High Plains’ sunshine and semi-rarefied air. Picpoul loosely translates to “kiss of lemon” and that’s definitely the keynote flavor here. Winemaker Chris Bundrett notes the “laser-beam of citrus on the palate, focused, steely, yet juicy.” $35 at lostdrawcellars.com
Bottom of Form
Red
2018 Pedernales Cellars Texas High Plains Graciano – I can’t decide whether I was more surprised by Lost Draw’s Picpoul Blanc or this delightful red from Pedernales’ winemaker David Kuhlken, who touts “the lovely fruit notes, but also very gnarly, dark, iron and earth.” Spanish in origin like picpoul, graciano is a used in Rioja blends but obviously can take center stage, with syrah and carignan in supporting roles. $45 at pedernalescellars.com
2019 Alexander Valley Vineyards Homestead Red – Winemaker Kevin Hall says he “anchored the blend with rich, concentrated merlot (45 percent), added zinfandel (32) for spicy notes, cabernet sauvignon (8) for elegant structure, grenache (6) for berry flavors, mourvèdre (5) for additional texture and syrah (4) for more bright spicy flavors and floral aromatics.” Yep, that’s six count ‘em six varietals, each of which was fermented and barrel-aged separately “to maximize complexity and broaden the spicy dark fruit, oak and vanilla flavors in the glass.” $23 at shopavv.com
2018 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley – Cab makes up 80 percent of the blend, but merlot (11), petit Verdot (7) and malbec (2) offer their two-cents worth as well. This ageworthy wine spent 13 months in French oak (35 percent new) and underwent 37 months of aging before release. Kruse calls it a “showstopper vintage, with black cherry, boysenberry and black fig aromas jumping out of the glass.” $60 at jordan.com
H-town Happenings
*Avignonesi Wine Dinner with Gabe Chiocca – Roma, 6 p.m. Wednesday. $89 plus tax and gratuity. romahouston.com
* Argentine Empanada and Wine Night – SERCA Wines Tasting Room. 5-7 p.m.Saturday, July 30. $40 per person or $120 for four with a bottle of wine. SERCAwines.com
* Gran Corte Reserva Vertical Tasting, 2014 through 2019 vintages — SERCA Wines Tasting Room, 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6. $80 ($64 for Wine Club members) SERCAwines.com
Follow me
* Podcast: Sporty Wine Guy
* Instagram: sportywineguy
* Twitter: @sportywineguy
* Facebook: Dale Robertson
Other folks to follow
* Sandra Crittenden (winelifehouston.com– Sandra explores Oregon’s new sub-AVAs.
* Russ Kane (vintagetexas.com) – The Texas Wineslinger tells you everything you need to know about the aforementioned Graciano grape. In fact, it was him who generously shared the bottle from Lost Draw Cellars.
* Jeff Kralik (thedrunkencyclist.com) – Jeff offers his take on the best wines he has tasted recently. His pick of the week? The 2005 Domaine Jessiaume Santenay 1er Cru Les Gravières.
* Jeremy Parzen (dobianchi.com) – My podcast partner in crime gives us the lowdown on his two favorite Italy-centric wine bloggers, Riccardo Fabbio (Wine Telling Riky) and Kevin Day (Opening a Bottle).
* Katrina Rene (thecorkscrewconcierge.com) – Kat salutes the many wonders of the sauvignon blanc-centric whites from Bordeaux.
The Sporty Wine Guy 